In classical architecture, the uniform assembly of constituent parts according to established proportions is called an ‘order’. There are five main architectural orders, three of which were created in ancient Greece; Doric, Ionic, and the later Corinthian. Doric order, originating on the western mainland during the Archaic Period, is the oldest and most functional of the three; short, fluted columns and plain round tops without a base plinth. Proportionally, Doric order has shorter, thicker columns than those designed in the Ionic style, giving a more ‘masculine’ look which had a bearing on the type of building it was used for. A surviving example is the marble Temple of Hephaestus in Athens, to the northwest of the hill housing the city’s ancient agora, or marketplace.
